5 Malaysian states move to Phase Two: Operations of government offices to remain hybrid

The five states moving to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan are Perlis, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu.

On 3 July (Saturday), Malaysia’s Minister of Finance (MOF) Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Senior Minister of Defense Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced in a press conference that five Malaysian states will transition to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan starting today (5 July 2021).

The five states are: Perlis, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu.

Minister Zafrul explained: “So far five states have reached the threshold value and will transition to Phase Two starting Monday (July 5, 2021). Based on the current achievements, it is expected that there will be other states that moving to Phase Two in a little while.”

By transiting to Phase Two, it means that all five states have achieved an average daily case of COVID-19 of below 4,000 cases, with 10% of the population having received two doses of vaccine injections.

Further to that, “its public health system is no longer at a critical level, with the rate of ICU ward occupancy at moderate levels,” as previously indicated in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s address on 15 June.

During Phase two of the National Recovery Plan, residents in the five states can expect the following:

• Economic activities will be gradually eased with 80% of labour capacity allowed on premises;
• Social and cross-state activities will still not be allowed;
• The positive list approach, where only listed sectors are allowed to operate, will be expanded into manufacturing and retail sectors (i.e electronics and computers). Those in textile manufacturing and furniture, for instance, will still not be allowed.

In a similar vein, Chief Secretary Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, on 4 July, took to his social media account and addressed the topic on economic activities for Phase Two, in specific to government offices.

“Effective 5 July 2021, the operation of government offices in the states involved will continue to be implemented in a hybrid manner through being in the office and working-from-home (BDR),” the secretary’s directive highlighted.

In Phase Two states, i.e. Perlis, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu, offices are to abide by the following SOPs:

• Office attendance not to exceed 40% (excluding frontliners, security, defense and enforcement services), with 60% working-from-home by rotation;
• All meetings and discussions to be conducted online;
• Counter services can be open, but subject to no more than 50% counter staff onsite and physical attendance scheduled by appointment only;
• Attendance to the office must be accompanied by official instruction documents and employee pass;
• Office operation must comply with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) related to COVID-19 set by the National Security Council (NSC) and the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH).

On a separate note, the government will consider transiting states from Phase Two to Phase Three, if they succeed in achieving these three indicators:

• The average daily cases of COVID-19 falls below 2,000 cases;
• The public health system is at a comfortable level, with the rate of ICU ward occupancy at an adequate level;
• 40% of the country’s population has received two doses of vaccine injections.

Image / Minister of Finance (MOF) Tengku Zafrul Aziz's Facebook

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